Campaigners and politicians in Greater Manchester have reacted with anger after Liz Truss announced she was to allow fracking to return to the UK. The PM has scrapped a 2019 ban on the fossil fuel extraction process as part of a wider energy bills strategy.
It could see domestic shale gas production begin in as little as six months, but Ms Truss has faced heavy criticism from opponents who have long warned that fracking can cause earthquakes, water contamination, noise and traffic pollution.
The PM told MPs that fracking would only go ahead in areas where there was local support for it. But Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said the move was a 'backwards step'.
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He added: "Fracking won't deliver energy any time soon. You're talking years before that gas starts to flow and when it does we're supposed be going towards net zero, so it's taking us in a backwards direction.
"The quickest way and the cheapest way of getting new energy sources is on-shore wind and the question you need to ask is why is the Conservative Party putting restrictions on on-shore wind, but not on fracking. Local communities can stop on-shore wind farms because the NIMBYs down south demanded that it should be their right.
"But the same Conservative Party - having allowed that - is now saying fracking will be railroaded into communities across the North. Because you know what? It's the North of England where all of this fracking will take place, so they're saying 'frack the North because it's fine, because it's away from all of us'. I'm not having it."
Pete Abel, from Manchester Friends of the Earth, said a huge drive to insulate homes was a more effective solution to the energy crisis. He added: "We have huge climate change objectives that we are supposed to be achieving by moving away from oil, gas and coal, so agreeing to the production of more oil and gas just doesn't make sense.
"The immediate need is to insulation homes, that's what would help bring down energy use, keep people warm and save money. Fracking is not the solution. The solution is to massively ramp up renewable energy."
Fracking involves extracting gas from rocks and breaking them up with water and chemicals at high pressure. Supporters say it dramatically increases the production of oil and natural gas, helping to lower energy prices, strengthen energy security and even lower air pollution and carbon dioxide emissions by reducing the reliance coal in electricity generation.
But a ban was imposed in the UK in 2019 after experts said it was not possible to accurately model earthquakes linked to the process. Earlier that year the 10 councils in Greater Manchester effectively agreed to stop companies from fracking in the region.
Planning measures were put in place to create a 'presumption' against fracking as part of the region's effort to become carbon neutral by 2038.
It was hailed as a critical moment in the fight against the practice. Five years earlier energy company IGas had been granted permission to build a fracking test well at Barton Moss, between Barton Aerodrome and the M62 motorway in Salford.
The plans sparked a huge backlash with campaigners camping outside the site for six months. Protests included 'slow walking' in front of vehicles accessing the site, non-violent direct action, and rallies, music events and family days.
Salford Mayor Paul Dennett said: "In Salford and Greater Manchester our stance towards fracking has not changed. In the Places for Everyone Joint Development Plan Document we have made it clear that our commitment to keep fossil fuels in the ground remains and at this time we will not support fracking.
"We want Greater Manchester to be carbon neutral by 2038. The government seriously need to focus on developing cleaner energy while also providing vital financial support for the poorest residents who are having to face between the choice of eating or heating as the cold sets in and energy costs rocket."
It's thought unlikely the Barton Moss plans could be revived, but campaigners fear hotly disputed shale gas wells could be reopened in Preston New Road near Blackpool, after plans to seal them up were shelved earlier this year.
Claire Stephenson, of Frack Free L ancashire, told LancsLive : "There is absolutely no doubt: we are in the midst of a climate crisis. The unprecedented global temperatures that impacted the UK this summer, saw breakdown of everyday living, travel, work and homes destroyed through devastating fires. Our campaign in Lancashire has been running for years, highlighting the unmitigable danger that is hydraulic fracturing."
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